


When you're ready

by orphan_account



Series: Strem's Torture Chamber [3]
Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Light Angst, Mourning, Riko is like 20 but Ruby isstill her canon age, why must i always make yohane suffer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 11:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11577258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Ruby. I want you to repeat after me. It wasn't your fault.""I-it wasn't Ruby's fault."





	When you're ready

They sat on the pier with their legs dangling into the sea, watching as the sea turned gold. It's nice like this, Riko thought quietly, watching Ruby play with the water, scooping it up with her bare hands, gazing at something invisible just above the horizon.

"Riko." Ruby edged a little closer to Riko, who instinctively put her arm round the smaller girl. "You said I talk when I'm ready, and... I am. Maybe." 

"Then talk."

Ruby closed her eyes, as though remembering something from a long, long time ago. "We were walking. Up. A hill, i think. Maru **...** Maru was there too." Ruby's speech is slurrred and disjointed, but she wasclearly trying hard. Riko could feel her heart clench at the sight of her. Kurosawa Ruby had been sent in to see her four months ago, after being traumatised witnessing the death of her best friend, Tsushima Yoshiko. She never answered any of Riko's carefully worded questions with more than one sentence and was always fidgeting or fiddling with something,refusing to meet her gaze. That was, until now.

"We went. Walked up, to a t-temple. Yohane-" Riko remembered that was what Ruby liked to call her -"She was off. Not in.this world..." Ruby paused, then shook her head. "Sorry. Ruby can't- Ruby can't-"

"Cant find words?" Ruby nodded. 

"She wasn't- wasn't really there. i mean! She was but...her mind. it was all over the place. We stood there. Just looking, nothing more. Then Yohane mumbles something. Ruby doesn't hear, but Maru does. She stood up and shouted. at Yohane. Then she started runing and running and running. We went after her, but Yohane was faster. She went upt o her and shook and shook her. Ruby couldn't tell what she was saying, but there was lots of shouting and crying and Ruby... Ruby didn't do anything." Ruby buries her head in Riko's shoulder and cries, letting Riko pet her hair. 

"Then there was running, Maru, then Yohane, across the road... Maru stopped, but Yohane... Yohane, she..." Ruby didn't say anymore, instead just continued crying, crying until her tears dried and was reduced to hiccoughing, her small frame racked with sobs. 

"Ruby." Riko's voice was gentle but firm. "It wasn't your fault."

"But it was." her voice was tiny. "Ruby didn't do anything, Ruby could have helped, Ruby- Yohane-"

"Ruby. I want you to repeat after me. It wasn't your fault."

"I-it wasn't Ruby's fault."

"Good." Riko let Ruby blow her nose and lean into her lap. "Do you wan to talk some more, or do you want to go home now?"

"I-I want to go home now." Ruby mumured. 

"Then let's go." Riko took the girl by the hand, leading her carefully across the slowly darkening streets. 

"Riko?"

"Yes?"

"S-Sorry for acting like a baby."

"Don't be." Riko gave her a pat on the head, a gesture she had seen Dia use many times before. And so they walked home, under a sky stained sunset. It's nice like this, Riko thought.


End file.
